This hilarious and touching story of sisters who come together to save the summer camp. But wait .. this story is about so much more. Love, loss, regret, angst, family bonds, possibility, and pregnancy! What an amazing combination brought together through the gifted hands of Ann Garvin. She makes us laugh while we're crying, and creates all the feelings stored inside each of us - as we relive our days at Summer camp!

Description: "Two sisters scramble to save their family’s legacy in a funny, huge-hearted novel about grandiose plans and summers to remember by the author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.

Cat McCarthy has spent years extricating herself from the family business—an increasingly run-down theater camp—and all the drama contained within it. At thirty-seven, she’s putting the final touches on a new life as she renovates her dream cottage and awaits her first child. Does it worry her that the McCarthy legacy is in the hands of her disastrously irresponsible sister, Ginger? Sure. But the camp’s not Cat’s problem anymore.

Then a series of frantic text messages pulls Cat back to center stage. Ginger has handed the reins to a crackpot motivational speaker, Bob Durand, and his scheming wife, Elaine. The couple’s plan to rebrand the camp as a “rehab” for anxious adults has nearly bankrupted the McCarthys. And now the Durands have skipped town days before investors arrive for a fundraising gala that could determine the camp’s future."

4.5 stars rounded up

The second 2/3 of Bummer Camp were a total win for me! The beginning felt a little slow and I was not sure there was going to be a spectacular story in this book, but I was wrong. Totally, and completely wrong.

Cat arrives at Summer Camp and that’s when she begins to crack open. Just a little at first, observing the folks working at camp, the state of things and her own life. Little by little, the crack gets bigger until it all breaks open! The story of how Cat lets go, embraces her family and allows herself to not be perfect is a beautiful one for sure.

Advance reader copy provided by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I love reading Ann Gavin's books and I was especially excited about Bummer Camp because hello, camp! Man do I have the best memories growing up attending summer camp. The friends I made, the crafts, swimming in the pool and lake, and all the amazing camp songs. So reading Bummer Camp got me feeling all those cozy feels. The book is about two sisters who grew up attending their families summer camp and later go on to run it themselves.
Cat has a life of her own and a baby on the way. Being alone and independant is exactly how she wants it. Her sister Ginger is set on dragging Cat back into camp drama and a call for help has Cat running back to her childhood home. The camp is in trouble and no matter how much Cat tries not to care deep down she does. The camp has struggled over the years and what started as a theater camp turned into a wellness retreat and really any kind of camp they can offer to get campers signed up!
Is it time to let the camp go or should the sisters come up with a plan to save it? First they need to stop battling each other, next they need to find out what one of the counselors is up to because it's not good, and lastly they need to bury the past and figure out how to move forward because soon Cat will be a mom and she'll need all the support she can get!

Cat’s life revolved around the summer camp her family owned for her whole life, but then she finally extracted herself from it - now she’s independent, pregnant, and very single. Then one night she gets a call from her nephew begging her to come help his mom who now runs the camp - she’s gotten herself into a mess and they need Cat to come save the camp from ruin. Cat runs up to find that they have let the camp be run by a charlatan named Bob and his evil wife and they has run off leaving the very young staff with no supplies or internet (since Bob believed everyone should unplug). In addition, Bob scheduled a gala for donors to visit the camp (although one is coming to try and convince the rest to turn it into a water park). Can Cat, her sister, the handsome groundskeeper and the young staff pull of a gala in less than a week (with no supplies) and try to save the camp from becoming a water park?

I really wanted to love this one, I love summer camp and I the idea behind this one - I just think there was too much going on. I think the basic story was great: family run camp, family drama, cute groundskeeper come together to save a camp - all ingredients for a wonderful feel good summer camp story. There were just too many other ingredients thrown in pot that muddied the water. Some parts of the book were really enjoyable but I did feel that the story got a bit unfocused at times and therefore my mind wandered while reading as well.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union for the ARC

Feeling woebegone because summer is almost over? Need one last infusion of summer vibes?
Bummer Camp offers that and much more. My sympathy lay with Cat for the majority of the book given what I was reading. I really had a strong dislike for Ginger based on what I believed was her messing up and Cat having to fix everything all the time.
Garvin fooled me with a lot, Including the true nature of some of the characters and even the real name of one of them!!!
I do wish Steve had been carried off by the storm but maybe in the future.
I love the colorful cover and also the feeling of the belonging Bummer Camp creates for its guests.
I was never a camp kid but I enjoyed reading about summer camps and their antics.

This is a great book to begin as summertime is winding down.

Thirty-seven year old Cat is very pregnant when she gets a text from her beloved nephew, Shirtless, that the family owned theater camp is in trouble. Cat has tried to distance herself from family, but when she finds out that her name may be on the mortgage she heads for the woods.

Cat gets to camp to find that the camp has gone from a camp that helps all kids feel a sense of belonging to a camp for sad adults. Cat also watches as the guy that is running the camp takes off leaving them in a bind.

Cat, her sister, Ginger, and a wonderful mixed bag of counselors try to successfully hold a gala that will hopefully save the camp from being turned into a water park.

This book is sweet, funny, and deals with family dynamics. It also gave me a warm fuzzy feeling as I read it and embraced all the personalities that made the camp tick.

This is a beautiful story of two polar opposite sisters working to save their family’s legacy. And as the Cat to my sisters’ Ginger, this book HIT HOME. Set at a summer camp, this was the perfect end of summer read that made me cry and laugh out loud. And in true Ann Garvin fashion, there is a sweet canine sidekick that steals the show. This book was an unexpected, but exciting, whirlwind of a story filled with all the feels and I loved every second of it.

A failing children's theater camp, a band of misfits and underdogs, sister/family drama, and ties to the Wizard of Oz(!) made Ann Garvin's new release the perfect summer book full of laughs and heartfelt moments.

Two sisters, Cat and Ginger, were raised at their parents' Summer Camp property in Wisconsin. Now 37, Cat wants nothing to do with the run-down property; she is tired of being the dependable sister and is hard carved our her own sanctuay/home while getting ready to birth her first child. Yet, an urgent text, a greedy charlatan, and desperation convince Cat to return to the camp to help salvage a last hurrah fundraising gala. Cat and Ginger must corral the summer staff with zero funds and supplies to make the gala a success, why reconciling their own relationship and memories of their past.

Every.single.character in this book is a riot. If you enjoy stories about misfits and underdogs, you will love the staff of Summer Camp and be rooting for their success. Convincing the public of a place's value or significance is a tough job, but Garvin and her cast convinced me that all my life is missing in a week at Summer Camp! There are so many LOL moments, but also equally tender ones. There is a tragically shady 'baby daddy', a swoony groundskeeper who likes to skinny dip, and a chef who *might* be adding an illegal ingredient to the camp food. I loved the older characters, appreciated the nostalgic setting, and enjoyed the character growth between sisters, Cat and Ginger.

Thank you UpLit Reads for including me on this book tour!

To be honest, I struggled getting into this book. I put it down for a while, came back and was able to read it.
I just don't think I was able to love all the characters that were presented in the book.

As summer draws to a close, I was excited to dive into one final read influenced by a quintessential seasonal activity, camp. Unfortunately in Bummer Camp, the
bummer aspect is highlighted more than I’d hoped as this read was a bit of a letdown.

This story revolves sisters Ginger and Cat. Always at odds, the two opposites are forced to work together to try to save the family business- a theater camp. Although there’s always been a love/hate relationship with the camp, the possibility that it will be reintroduced as a rehab for adults leaves both sisters scrambling to save their sanity, and their life savings.

I’m not sure what it was exactly, but I struggled getting into the story right away. I kept pushing, but admittedly after sneaking some looks at others who reviewed and felt the same, I ended up DNFing. That being said, the story may have gotten better if I kept reading. I suppose after reading and enjoying Until Next Summer, another ode to reflecting on summer memories, it was hard not to compare the two.

The premise of this book is so appealing. For me the beginning of the book didn’t hook me. Cat was a difficult character to relate to, and initially the story unfolded in a bit disjointed manner. The ending was well written and enjoyable. The growth Cat made was well written. Overall a good story.

Thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. I have not read any other books by this author but my Bookclub has so I thought I would try this one out. This story is about a camp in Wisconsin that is failing and a sister is asked to come back by the sister who lives at the camp full time for help. This story is all over the place. Way too many characters. Way too much stuff going on. The title is only referred to in the last part of the book and doesn’t even really make sense. Unfortunately, this was not an enjoyable book for me.

I love a good sister story. And a good summer story. And a good laugh. Ann Garvin's BUMMER CAMP is all these things and more. It's an invitation to unplug and come along to a nostalgic summer-camp where kids and grown-ups of all ages are welcome, filled with sweetly flawed, earnest characters who are doing their best .... and a literal whirlwind of a story that leaves you loving them all just the way they are.

I've been reading Ann Garvin's work for years, and my absolute favorite thing is how her author bio says she sets out to write "about women with a good sense of humor who do too much in a world that asks too much from them." No wonder I find her characters so relatable. The sisters trying to save their family's titular BUMMER CAMP couldn't be more different—but they also might not know each other quite as well as they think they do. Even when they're letting each other down, they're still capable of surprising each other and even themselves. I loved how this book celebrated the simple traditions that are perfectly imperfect just the way they are, while also showing that we're never too old or too cynical to change and grow into better versions of ourselves. BUMMER CAMP is the best kind of group hug. I'm already looking forward to Ann Garvin's next one.

Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

This book gave me major summer vibes and gave me a sense of nostalgia that I didn't know I needed. I wish I could read this book over and over again for the first time to get the feeling that I did when I read it. I can absolutely see my patrons loving this one just as much as I did!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I enjoyed this little gem of a read from beginning to end. A great reminder of the power of people working together for a greater cause.

BOOK REVIEW

Book: Bummer Camp

Author: Ann Garvin

Description: Cat McCarthy is independent, responsible and reliable. Her sister Ginger is… none of those things. But when Ginger needs Cat’s help to save their family’s summer theatre camp, Cat jumps in the car and drives straight to her side. Cat, pregnant and having put space between herself and the camp, is pulled right back into camp ownership drama, management of her free spirited sister and interacting with an eclectic collection of counselors. Cat soon learns that the children’s camp has been flipped by new leaders and billed as a rehabilitative escape for anxious adults, but the couple skips town three days before their big fundraising gala with all the camp’s funds in tow.

5 stars from me!

"A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." - The Wizard, Wizard of Oz

This book was exceptional. Bummer Camp is the most perfect summer read. Not only was it on theme for the season, but when I tell you I ate this book up - YUM.

It was deliciously quirky, with a cast of characters to adore in their own special ways - the medicinal chef, the animal whisperer, the diva and her handler, Hot Gary… They share an intimate bond as individuals who come to work at camp for their own very specific needs and meld into a collection of kind souls who support and care for one another as family.

Cat and Ginger are opposites attract in sibling form. What one lacks, the other has in spades. Their relationship is touching, and the way they help pull the other out of their own ruts is so relatable. They fight, they make up, they move on, they communicate via sign language! Ginger’s son Shirtless, who has sensory processing sensitivity, is an especially moving part of the story.

There is bear poop (edible), night swimming (the skinny dip version), creative event planning (in the woods… for fancy people…) and a whole lot of restorative nature sights and sounds. I could go on, but I feel like I’m already spoiling the witty joyfulness you will experience for yourself! Read this one. You won’t regret it.

“Nobody can step up if the top step is occupied.” - Ginger, Bummer Camp

"There's no place like home." - Dorothy, Wizard of Oz

Thank you SO SO much to Ann Garvin, UpLit Reads and NetGalley for this incredible ARC!

**posting to Instagram and Goodreads as well**

"We're not trying to be something we're not. Highlight, not hide. People respect the truth." One of my favorite lines from Ann Garvin's upcoming novel, Bummer Camp. This story takes place at a former theatre summer camp for kids. It's recently been re-branded for a camp for adults dealing with anxiety and depression. Cat gets a SOS call from her sister Ginger and nephew saying the camp is in major financial struggles and they need her help. Cat is reluctant to help as she is 7 months pregnant, trying to ready herself for her next stage in life, and not too keen to clean up Ginger's latest mess, in her opinion.

I loved the theme of this story. It's a sweet group of young adults (and 30 somethings) who often feel like people don't see their potential or worth. The misfits you might call them. I loved that they all worked together for a common goal (save the camp) and their unique talents really shined. This was my first time reading Ann Garvin's work and I really enjoyed it. The Wizard of Oz is also a big part of this novel and that made my heart happy too. This fun summer read with lots of heart comes out September 1st. Thank you Uplit Reads, Ann Garvin, and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Somewhere over the rainbow is Bummer Camp. It is where troubles melt like lemon drops, especially if you solicit the help of a therapy chicken named Connie, or eat Good Morning Overnight Oats made especially for you by Wynn.

Ann Garvin is one of the very best weirdos of the world. I have read all of her books and will auto pre-order any new ones that she writes. She makes me laugh out loud with her words and outrageously witty scenes. I loved every single page of Bummer Camp!

Here’s an excerpt from somewhere on the internet about Bummer Camp which I thinks sums it up better than I ever could: As Cat and Ginger wrangle a cast of lovable misfits and underdogs to save the camp, the sisters rediscover the importance of family, belonging, and holding fast to sweet summer memories.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc! And thank you Ann Garvin for the opportunity to celebrate this book launch at the actual Camp in Wisconsin in August!! Holy Bear Poop! I will be there!!! Is Wynn going to be cooking? 😉

A summer camp for adults? Yes please! This book was so funny. Well written and creative! I loved the sister's bond,